PEORIA, Ill. – Junior forward DeAnna Wilson put up 22 points and 17 rebounds in Illinois State's (16-13, 12-6 MVC) regular season finale at Bradley (4-23, 1-17 MVC), leading the Redbirds to a 62-53 victory over the Braves at Renaissance Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
Fifth year Juliunn Redmond finished with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds with sophomore Kate Bullman adding six points and eight boards.
Freshman Chloe Van Zeeland had a career-high seven points in the win, knocking down a big three-pointer from the corner to hold off a Bradley rally late in the fourth quarter.
The Braves were led by Chloe Rice and Sierra Morrow, who each scored 11 points in the loss.
With the conclusion of the regular season, the Redbirds have secured the four-seed in next week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and will meet No. 5 Loyola Chicago in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11 at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After trailing 16-14 at the end of the first quarter, the Redbirds used an 11-0 run capped off by a Mary Crompton three-pointer to pull ahead, 25-16, midway through the second period. The Braves didn't stay quiet for long, battling back to finish within two points, 29-27, at the half, thanks in part to a pair of triples by Abbie Draper and Tatum Koenig in the final two minutes of the quarter. Wilson had already recorded a double-double for the Redbirds by halftime, finishing the first half with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Picking up right where she left off in the first half, Wilson paced the 'Birds in the third period and was responsible for 10 of ISU's 17 third quarter points, helping the Redbirds take a six-point-lead heading into the final frame, 46-40.
The Braves rallied to tie the game 52-52 with 4:26 to go in the fourth quarter but were quieted off a Van Zeeland three-pointer from the corner as the shot clock expired to quickly reclaim the lead. The Redbirds hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory, with Redmond tallying 11 of her 17 points on the day in the fourth period of the 62-53 win in Peoria.
IN THE BOX SCORE
- Crompton hit two three-pointers to improve to 207 career triples which ranks third all-time in ISU's record books. The Iowa City, Iowa native only trails Katie Broadway (225) and Kristi Cirone (229) in threes made in a Redbird uniform.
- Wilson is the first Illinois State player to record 20+ points and 17+ rebounds in a game since Kenyatta Shelton had 22 points and 22 rebounds versus UIC on Dec. 4, 2010. Wilson's 17 boards were a career-high and third-most recorded in a game by a Valley player this season.
- With her 17 points, Redmond has now recorded double-digit scoring in 22 of 28 games this year to officially lead the MVC in scoring with 478 points while averaging 17.1 points per contest.
- ISU finished 12-6 in conference games for the second season and have now swept the Braves in consecutive season campaigns for the first time since 2013.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On Wilson's performance: "I thought DeAnna was outstanding and it's so great to have a game like that ahead of postseason to help get her going."
UP NEXT
The Hoops in the Heartland MVC Tournament kicks off this weekend, with the No. 4 Redbirds battling the fifth-seeded Loyola Chicago Ramblers at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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